Kelly Driscoll

You know what step really makes my nighttime routine feel totally extra? A sleeping pack!

First of all, sleeping packs are totally special because until I discovered K-Beauty, I’d never heard of a sleeping pack before. When I tried one for the first time I really didn’t know what it was supposed to do for me, but I sure thought it was novel!

I sure have come a long way since those early days, and now I’m pretty much team sleeping pack 365 days a year! (Okay, I don’t do one every single night but definitely many times a week!)

The main benefit I see from regularly using a sleeping pack is an improvement in my dehydrated skin. I tend to lose water from my skin throughout the night, even if I slather on ten hydrating and moisturizing steps before bed. Sleeping packs help me lock down that hydration and moisture and ensure my skincare stays on my skin and the water does not escape.

Of course, sleeping packs can also offer skin brightening and softening benefits, as well as just locking down your layers to ensure you wake up to bouncy and elastic skin in the morning.

So being team sleeping pack FTW, I’m always keen to try a new sleeping pack to add to my bedside collection. (I don’t know why, but unless I keep my sleeping packs right next to my bed, I forget to use them!)

And being the K-Beauty and Cosrx fanatic that I am, it was only a matter of time before I crossed paths with the Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask and the Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask!

I know there are a lot of Cosrx fans out there wondering what is the difference between the two and which one they should get? So let’s break them down, shall we?

Round 1: Ultimate Honey

So before we dive into the honey mask, I have to address a little misconception about this mask. There’s no honey in here.

Whaaaa?

This mask is actually made up of 87% propolis extract. Now propolis is honey related, but it really isn’t the sweet nectar that we know honey to be.

Propolis is actually incredibly beneficial to the skin, though, so don’t get too disappointed. Propolis is very hydrating to the skin as well as being anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. It is an excellent soothing ingredient to help heal irritated skin and is very beneficial for sensitive or acne prone skin. Propolis is also known for its ability to impart a glow to the skin.

This mask has other notable ingredients like beeswax, adenosine and allantoin which boost the soothing and skin restoring benefits of this mask.

Texture, Scent and Application:

This mask is a translucent, amber-colored gel that spreads across the skin quickly and easily. This creates an incredibly lightweight occlusive barrier that is never heavy or sticky.

I also appreciate that this mask dries down quickly! I always apply my sleeping pack just before going to sleep. (I’m in my bed as I apply it; I told you my collection is bedside right?) This dries down so quick I never get any hair stuck to my face or my face stuck to my pillow!

And sorry to disappoint any of those honey lovers who thought this might smell like that delicious amber elixir — it doesn’t. This mask doesn’t contain any added fragrance, and I really can’t detect any scent at all in this mask.

Experience:

I really like this mask and appreciate its light feeling on the skin. You know I’m a 10-step routine girl, but sometimes those layers can get a little heavy feeling. That’s why I love a light sleeping pack that doesn’t suffocate my skin, but still locks down my layers. This is perfect for hot and humid nights for that very reason.

Now, this mask didn’t really give me that propolis glow that I’ve achieved with other propolis serums and masks, but that really didn’t bother me. This mask keeps my dehydrated skin comfortable through the entire night and I don’t wake up with a tight, dry feeling on my face in the morning. No trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) here, so I’m happy!

Interestingly enough, Cosrx markets this sleeping pack as being able to be used 3 different ways: as a sleeping pack, as a wash-off mask and as a moisturizer.

The Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Mask performs best as a sleeping pack, in my opinion.

As a wash off mask it is okay, but when you can leave a mask on overnight and reap all the benefits of longer contact with your skin, why would you bother rinsing it off after only 20 minutes?

I would only recommend very oily types to try this as a moisturizer as I don’t believe it will provide a lot of moisture or hydration on its own.

Best for:

Oily, acne prone and combination skin types. Also best of the two for sensitive skin.

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Round 2: Ultimate Rice

I don’t have any bombs to drop on you with this one — it does contain rice! 68.9% rice extract, to be exact. Rice is an amazing ingredient to help moisturize the skin, but it is also excellent for brightening and it contains a lot of skin friendly antioxidants.

The other notable ingredient in this mask to get excited about is niacinamide. Niacinamide is an old hand at brightening your skin tone and fading hyper pigmentation, but did you know it can also fight wrinkles and help to repair your moisture barrier? So much win with niacinamide!

Texture, Scent and Application:

The texture of the rice mask is totally opposite of the honey mask! This is an opaque white cream that glides across the skin like a dream and creates a thick, yet lightweight, occlusive barrier on the skin.
This mask does seem to take a little longer than the honey mask to dry down, but compared to other masks, I would say this still dries down quickly and my hair and pillowcase never stick to my cheek! This mask is never sticky, tacky or greasy feeling on my skin.

I can detect a little bit more of a scent on this one, but still very faint and just clean smelling. Like its honey cousin, there’s no added fragrance here.

Experience:

I definitely had mixed feelings about this mask when I first started to use it.

Now, before I go any further, I must make a disclaimer: A few months ago, I was dealing with a very compromised moisture barrier and my skin was in a damaged state. My skin was very irritated, sensitive and a lot of products were not agreeing with it. Even old products I’ve used for years were causing weird sensations on my skin.

So when I first started to use this sleeping pack a few months ago, it caused a mild stinging sensation on my damaged skin. It wasn’t painful or intense and it didn’t last long, but I knew it was something that wasn’t supposed to be happening.

Needless to say, this really put me off from using the mask and kind of colored my perception of the effectiveness of this product.

That being said, now that my skin is in a much healthier state I have no problem with this mask. In fact, it’s becoming one of my favorite masks for winter and I’ve been reaching for it quite a bit lately.

So please take note, if you have extremely sensitive or damaged skin like I did, this mask may not be for you.

As I said, this is becoming my go-to mask for cold and dry weather because it just seals in moisture like a boss. Dry weather is no joke, especially for dehydrated and dry skin types, because the chances of TEWL occurring overnight go way up! Even sleeping with a humidifier I can sometimes wake up with dry, tight skin in the morning.

I’ve never used a sleeping pack that had an emollient and creamy texture like the rice mask. I was afraid it would be too rich for my skin. However, it has proven itself to be the perfect final layer to ensure all my skincare stays on my skin, and I wake up with fresh and chok-chok skin.

This mask also delivers on its brightening claims! The first morning after I used this mask I noticed my face had a nice, even glow!

I feel the same way about this mask as I do the honey when it comes to its multi-tasking claims: it performs best as a sleeping pack, okay as a wash-off (but why bother) and it could be an alright moisturizer, but probably won’t be enough moisture especially for dry and dehydrated types.

Best for:

Dry skin, combination skin that veers more towards dry and dehydrated skin. May not be suitable for damaged or super sensitive skin.

Buy on Amazon*

Buy on Wishtrend*

Final word:

I’m finding for my skin both these masks have a place in my seasonal routines and priced between $11-$17 a tube, you really can’t go wrong with one of these in your stash!

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